I’m pleased to be a part of the blog tour for Nelle Davy’s debut novel, The Legacy of Eden. Aurelia has been the home of the Hathaway family for generations. The estate was born out of Lavinia Hathaway’s desire to escape her past and elevate her family’s name. And now, the last inhabitant of the estate has died. Lavinia’s youngest grandchild, Meredith Pincetti, is summoned back to Iowa to settle the estate.

Lavinia Hathaway brought Aurelia to greatness, no matter who she had to destroy in the process. Her conniving and manipulation set the Hathaway family on a path of deception and destruction that would tear them apart. Now, Meredith must confront her family’s legacy and her own part in it.

Reading The Legacy of Eden was like seeing a small town through a late summer’s haze. The air shimmers with the heat, and it’s almost too quiet. Still, you know something is simmering behind the closed doors. The Hathaways are that family found in nearly every small town- you know the one. They have money, and whether intentionally or not, lord that over other townspeople. Despite any good they do, there always appears to be something darker lurking beneath the surface. Every family has its secrets- some are just more devastating than others.

Nelle Davy’s debut is a good one.  I read the book quickly, wanting to know just how the destruction of the Hathaway family occurred, and what had happened that had led to so much anguish and estrangement in the surviving family.  The pacing of the story worked well. I felt for Meredith, struggling with her past and looking for some peace in her present. Despite everything that happened within her family, Meredith still longs for some connection to her sisters, and must deal with the very real estrangement from her sisters and her role in causing it.  Davy could have made this very easy, absolving Meredith of her guilt in some trite way. Instead, she chose the more plausible route of not wrapping up everything in a neat little bow at the earliest opportunity.

I  loved the gothic feel of The Legacy of Eden. If you’re looking for an intriguing drama, be sure to check it out. And be sure to come back here on 20 February, when I’ll have a guest post from Nelle Davy.